Convertible vehicle

ABSTRACT

A convertible vehicle with a folding top ( 7 ), which has a flexible roof skin ( 6 ), and the folding top frame ( 3 ) of which is constructed in mirror image fashion to the longitudinal median plane ( 2 ), has a dimensionally stable frame ( 15 ) embracing a rear window ( 9 ), with side legs ( 19, 20 ) and an upper transverse leg ( 21 ), it being possible to transfer the frame, together with the folding top ( 7 ), into or out of a folding top compartment ( 8 ) at the rear by shifting it about a main bearing ( 5 ) attached to the car body, wherein the frame ( 15 ), constructed as a frame part (G), has in the region of its basic strut ( 18 ) a longitudinal contour (side struts  16, 17 ), which is extended in the nature of a folding top clamping collar ( 4 ), and the frame part (G), which can be swiveled by more than 90° into the opening position, is hinged by connecting parts ( 26, 27; 28, 29 ) directly at the folding top frame ( 3 ).

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle with a folding top with a flexible roof skin with a dimensionally stable rear window, as defined in the introductory portion of claim 1.

[0002] In the case of a known convertible vehicle of this type (German Auslegeschrift 11 79 125), the folding top frame, which is constructed essentially in mirror image fashion to the longitudinal median plane of the vehicle and is supported pivotably in a main bearing, has a frame, which embraces a rear window dimensionally stably, can be fixed in a closed position by means of a connecting rod, which is connected in scissor fashion, and shifted with this connecting rod horizontally to the folding top frame and subsequently can be swiveled into the folding top compartment. At the same time, the material of the folding top is subjected to additional stresses by folding, the horizontal displaceability requires an essentially vertically extending rear window and, during the closing process, the lower edge region of the rear window must be brought from the inside to the edge of the car body, so that an expensive control system is required in order to achieve leakproofness.

[0003] The invention is concerned with the problem of providing a convertible vehicle of the type indicated, the rear window holding device of which, which can be adapted to an aerodynamically flat folding top contour, can be swiveled without additional expense for a driving mechanism and for controls, the material of the folding top at the same time experiencing only slight folding motions and a reliably tight closure at the car body side being achieved at little cost.

[0004] The invention accomplishes this objective by a convertible vehicle with the distinguishing features of claim 1. With regard to significant further developments of the inventive convertible vehicle, reference is made to claims 2 to 8.

[0005] In the case of the inventive convertible vehicle, the rear window, which is held on three sides in a frame, is supported in the region of its lower transverse side edge directly on the clamping collar for the folding top, which forms, together with the frame, a rack part, which can be shifted as a one-part structural unit. Due to the transverse side edge of the rear window, which extends down to the bow-shaped partial region of the structural unit, the total area of the rear window is enlarged advantageously in the downward direction and, with that, the view through the rear region of the convertible vehicle is improved as a whole, even for vehicles with an aerodynamically flat folding top contour.

[0006] The rear window or the rear window together with the frame part is integrated as a structural unit in the folding top cloth in such a manner that, when the folding top is moved into the open or closed position, effective folding top cloth stresses in the roof skin are distributed optimally by the dimensionally stable construction of the structural unit and overloading is prevented. With this configuration of the rear region of the folding top, different requirements for the design and the aerodynamic configuration of the contour of vehicles can be met with little effort even if the overall height of the vehicle is low.

[0007] The structural unit, formed in one piece from the frame and the clamping collar for the folding top, can be integrated with little technical effort into the kinematic concept of the folding top frame and, together with the roof skin of the folding top, can be deposited in a folding top compartment at the rear of the vehicle. A particularly stable and pivotable support of the frame unit is achieved owing to the fact that the upper part of the frame unit interacts with respective linkage parts of the folding top and the lower bow-shaped side struts of the structural unit are supported pivotably in the region of the main bearing at the body of the vehicle by appropriate supporting connectors. In this region, a support with an adjustable height may also be provided.

[0008] The pivotable frame unit acts together with a rear folding top compartment lid which, in the closed position, can be placed from above onto the basic strut or the side legs of the frame in such a manner that, with little control effort, a reliably tight closure to the interior of the car body is attained.

[0009] With regard to further details and advantageous development of the invention, reference is made to the following description and the drawing, in which the inventive convertible vehicle with one-piece structural unit is described in greater detail by means of an example. In the drawing,

[0010]FIG. 1 shows a perspective rear view of a convertible vehicle with the folding top in the closed position,

[0011]FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic representation in side view of a folding top frame of FIG. 1, having a rear frame part,

[0012]FIG. 3 shows the folding top frame of FIG. 2 in an opening phase,

[0013]FIG. 4 shows the folding top frame of FIGS. 2 and 3 in a rear open position and

[0014]FIG. 5 shows a detailed representation of the frame part, which is provided as a structural unit in the region of the rear window.

[0015] In FIG. 1, a convertible vehicle is shown, which is labeled 1 as a whole and the folding top frame 3 of which (FIG. 2), which is constructed in mirror image fashion to the longitudinal median plane of the vehicle, has a folding top clamping collar 4 at the rear. When shifted about a main bearing 5, which is attached to the car body, the folding top 7, which has a flexible roof skin 6, can be deposited together with the folding top frame 3 in the folding top compartment 8 (FIG. 4) or returned from this into the closed position. In the rear region of its flexible roof skin 6, the folding top 7 is provided with a rear window 9, which has an essentially rectangular circumferential contour, extends above the folding top clamping collar 4 and is constructed especially as a solid glass pane.

[0016] The convertible vehicle 1, which is constructed pursuant to the invention, is provided with a rear window 9, which is attached to the flexible roof skin 6 only in the region of the upper transverse side edge 10, as well as in the region of its two longitudinal side edges 11 and 12, which are parallel to the longitudinal median plane 2 of the vehicle. With its lower transverse side edge 13, the rear window 9 is supported directly on the folding top clamping collar 4 (FIG. 5), the latter, together with a U-shaped frame 15, which takes up the rear window 9 and is connected with the roof skin 6, forming a dimensionally stable structural unit G.

[0017] The detailed representation of FIG. 2 illustrates the structural units of the folding top frame 3, which is provided in the rear region with the structural unit G, which forms a frame part as a whole. The frame part G and the front parts of the folding top frame 3 can be moved by a driving organ, the details of which are not shown, and the whole of the folding top frame 3, together with the frame part G, can be shifted jointly into the open position, which is represented in FIG. 4.

[0018] In the embodiment shown, the rear window 9 is integrated in the frame 15 over appropriate glued, screwed and/or clamped connections, the details of which are not shown. It is also conceivable that the rear window 9 is held detachably at least regionally in the frame part G or in the frame 15 (not shown).

[0019] The detailed representation of FIG. 5 illustrates that the frame part G is provided with side struts 16, 17, forming the contour shape of the known folding top clamping collar 4, and a basic strut 18, which extends between these. The two parallel side legs 19 and 20 of the frame 15, closed off by an upper transverse leg 21, are supported in the transition region between the two side struts 16 and 17 and the basic strut 18. In an appropriate embodiment, the U-shaped frame 15 can be welded in the region of its parallel side legs 19 and 20 in each case terminally in the connecting regions 22 and 23 with the basic strut 18 of the folding top clamping collar 4. All of these strut parts can be produced as extruded aluminum profiles, compressed profile parts, rolled profiles, etc., and connected by welding.

[0020] In an appropriate embodiment, the frame part G is constructed as a one-piece structural unit, especially as an aluminum die casting.

[0021] In the region connecting the side legs 19, 20 of the frame 15 to the basic strut 18, the frame G is provided in each case with an angle bracket 24, 25, which reinforces the frame G as a whole, so that a fixed angle, which defines the installed inclination (angle N) of the frame 15 in the total concept of the vehicle, is formed between these two functional supports of the structural unit and the angle brackets 24, 25. With the angle brackets 24 and 25, the frame part G is stiffened as a whole and, in the closed position of the folding top 7, the roof skin 6 is grasped from below, so as to give it shape and to tighten it.

[0022] In the installed position of the frame G, the U-shaped frame 15 is overlapped by the roof skin 6 of the folding top 7 in the region of the upper transverse leg 21 and the two side legs 19 and 20 (FIG. 5, sectional representation of the roof skin 6 with the connecting edge 6′). The roof skin 6 may be connected to the frame by sewing, screwing, gluing or clamping. In the region of the side struts 16 and 17 also, the roof skin is fixed over piping in a manner, the details of which are not shown.

[0023] The side views of FIG. 2 to 4 illustrate that the one-piece frame part G is connected over a connecting shoulder 26 and 27 (not shown) by the side struts 16 and 17, protruding from the basic strut 18, with the main bearing 5. The U-shaped frame 15 is hinged over two connecting flanges 28 and 29 to the folding top frame 3 in the region of the side legs 19.

[0024] The movement phases of this construction of FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate that the frame G, starting out from the closed position of FIG. 2, is swiveled about the main bearing 5 by more than 90° (swiveling path S). In order to achieve as flat as possible an installation position of the frame part G and of the swiveled parts of the folding top frame 3, (height H, FIG. 4), provisions are made so that the fulcrum 30 of the connecting shoulder 26 is shifted during the swiveling movement, so that the depth of immersion of the components as a whole into the car body is slight.

[0025] In the region of the main bearing 5, the fulcrum 30 is shifted by a lever 31, which is provided at the main bearing 5 and connected by a connecting rod 32 with a guiding strut 33, which is provided at the folding top frame 3. The front connecting flange 28 or 29 is connected directly with the roof frame parts of the folding top 3 or hinged to the main column 34 of the latter by an oscillating lever 35.

[0026] If the dimensions of the vehicle are appropriate, the folding top construction with the frame G described above can be lowered completely into the folding compartment 8 and closed off by an appropriate cover, such as a folding top compartment lid (not shown). It is also conceivable that the folding top 7, similar in construction to that shown in FIG. 4, is placed in the folding top compartment 8 and the upper region of the components is covered by a canvas, the details of which are not shown.

[0027] In the closed position of the frame G (FIG. 2), the latter is swiveled up from the open position shown in FIG. 4 and the folding top compartment lid, the details of which are not shown, lies on the region of the folding top clamping collar 4 or the basic strut 18 and the side leg 16, 17 in such a manner, that a reliably tight closure is achieved with little control effort. 

1. A convertible vehicle with a folding top (7), which has a flexible roof skin (6), and the folding top frame (3) of which is constructed in mirror image fashion to the longitudinal median plane (2), has a dimensionally stable frame (15) embracing a rear window (9), with side legs (19, 20) and an upper transverse leg (21), it being possible to transfer the frame, together with the folding top (7), into or out of a folding top compartment (8) at the rear by shifting it about a main bearing (5) attached to the car body, wherein the frame (15), constructed as a frame part (G), has in the region of its basic strut (18) a longitudinal contour (side struts 16, 17), which is extended in the nature of a folding top clamping collar (4), and the frame part (G), which can be swiveled by more than 90° into the opening position, is hinged by connecting parts (26, 27; 28, 29) directly at the folding top frame (3).
 2. The convertible vehicle of claim 1, wherein the frame part (G), together with the upper transverse leg (21), as well as the U-shaped frame (15) having the side legs (19, 20), and the folding top clamping collar (4), extending as the basic strut (18) of the U-shaped frame (15), form a one-piece structural unit.
 3. The convertible vehicle of claims 1 or 2, wherein the rear window (9) is connected detachably at least regionally with the frame part (G).
 4. The convertible vehicle of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the U-shaped frame (15), in the region of its parallel side legs (19, 20), is welded in each case terminally with the basic strut (18) or with the integrated folding top clamping collar (4).
 5. The convertible vehicle of one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein, in the region (22, 23), connecting the side legs (19, 20) of the frame (15) to the basic strut (18), in each case, one angle bracket (24, 25), reinforcing the frame (G) in the direction of the side struts (16, 17), is provided.
 6. The convertible vehicle of claim 5, wherein the angle brackets (24, 25) define the installed inclination (angle N) of the frame (15).
 7. The convertible vehicle of one of the claims 1 to 6, wherein the U-shaped frame (15) is overlapped by the roof skin (6) of the folding top (7) in the region of the upper transverse leg (21) and the two side legs (19, 20).
 8. The convertible vehicle of one of the claims 1 to 7, wherein the one-piece frame part (G) is supported in the region of the main bearing (5) by the side struts (16, 17) protruding from the basic strut (18) and, in addition, the side legs (19, 20) of the U-shaped frame (15) are hinged by the connecting flange (28, 29) to the folding top frame (3). 